The Mysteries of Dark Space
by The Master of Dimensions Jr
Summary: A mysterious foe attacks Duck Dodgers and fatally wounds him. The Cadet and Martian Commander X-2 give chase as Queen Tyr'ahnee comes to grips that Dodgers' life is in her hands, not knowing that a greater evil's on the rise... DodgersxTyr'ahnee
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own the **_**Duck Dodgers**_** and **_**Looney Tunes **_**series. I believe they belong to Warner Brothers, or something to that end.**

**Well, I haven't posted up story chapters since January and I felt so bored. I want to continue my first fic of **_**Yu Yu Hakusho**_**, but I just don't have the drive, and memory, to continue it. Maybe someday I'll work on it again and revive it from hiatus once I'm back into it, but I guess it was just a phase. My interests jump back and forth, never settling on one thing. There nothing more than temporary phases, I'm afraid. Heh heh…**

**I hope to remain in my renewed phase of **_**Duck Dodgers**_**, long enough to complete the story entirely. I got back into it after I got sick of seeing the garbage passed off as decent cartoons. Anyway, I haven't seen many adventure stories of it, especially those including the pairing of the Martian Queen and Duck Dodgers himself. At first, I thought it was a pretty funny pairing, but then through the eyes of its few supporters, it's really kinda cute and interesting when Dodgers actually reciprocates Tyr'ahnee's nonstop love. I know that the Queen might seem better off with the Commander, but I wanted to give _this_ a try. So that's for the writer, _me_ in this case, to determine how it plays out. So now, this fic will include most of the main cast, some Earthlings, Martians, a possible reformed Legion of Duck Doom, and a special OC of mine. So please enjoy the prologue!**

* * *

The vastness of space is a lonely place…

But it's not lonely enough for Captain Duck Dodgers, the wild card of the Galactic Protectorate of the 24th and ½ century. Yes, this duck had saved many worlds from dangerous aliens and vicious space criminals with the help of the Eager, Young Space Cadet, who mainly did all of the work and modestly kept in the background while his "heroic" Captain Dodgers received the glory and honors. Aside from the Cadet's assistance, luck played the role of Dodgers' supposed "cunning brilliance." The Cadet didn't mind at all; he was just happy to keep the peace in the universe.

So far in the story, the planets Earth and Mars were still pretty much in war, but not to an extreme extent. It was more like pranking between the Galactic Protectorate and the Martian army. There were also many times that the two neighboring planets established a sort of ceasefires. Yet the most recent one ended due to Dodgers once again breaking Martian Queen Tyr'ahnee's heart at the canceled wedding between her and Martian Commander X-2 after an attack of the Legion of Duck Doom, not to mention that he was implying that she was old. Ever oblivious and idiotically ignorant to her diehard feelings over him, Dodgers and the Cadet fled from eradication by the Martian Centurions while making off with some wedding presents and slices of cake Dodgers' hadn't already eaten.

As of this late moment in time, the space duo aimlessly drifted in space in their ship. The clock on the ship read 1:00 in the afternoon. They received no new assignments from Dr. I.Q. Hi as of yet. The Cadet was busy maintaining the ship's systems at regular efficiency while Captain Dodgers was busy napping on the cushy captain's chair.

"… Oh, Jennifer Love Hewitt-th-th…," Dodgers mumbled, tucking his sleeping head in his arms upon an arm of his chair. "… What-th's say you cast-th another th-spell on me…?" The Cadet glanced at his sleeping duck superior, mildly chuckling to himself.

"Eh-egh Captain Dodgers must have ea-ea-eate-eat-eate, I mean consumed seven microwaveable burritos before his after lunch na-nap t-time," the Cadet surmised, resuming systems check.

A lazy day so far, the Cadet was sure to find ways to busy himself if Captain Dodgers was out as a fried lamp. Normally, Dodgers would give him mundane and sometimes ridiculous tasks to do, such as sweeping the bridge or trying to shut off the evil Happy Cat alarm clock, whose annoying laugh and ominous taunts over Dodgers' laziness still echoed in Dodgers' room as of now. Even the Cadet started to regret getting that alarm clock to give as a Christmas present for Dodgers after witnessing all the commotion for his captain to shut it off just to get back to sleep.

Suddenly…

An ionic laser shot attacked the ship. Not only had it caused it to quake from the impact, but it left a dirty burn mark in a large area of white. Captain Dodgers was furious.

"Cadet! Battle th-stations!" Dodgers roared, having been disturbed from his peaceful nap and discovering the black blemish on his ship. Cadet scanned the area and discovered an unknown spacecraft within the radar's range.

"S-Sir, th-th-the-there's someone within the quadrant gu-gu-guilty of attacking us," Cadet reported. "It's right behind us."

"I bet it's-th that Martian goon again wanting to pick a fight with _moi_!" Dodgers deduced, standing on his chair proudly.

"S-Sir, get d-d-down from there," Cadet advised. "You're gonna fall off and g-g-ge-get hurt."

"Like heck those Martians are!" Dodgers exclaimed, raising and shaking his fist. "Cadet, turn this ship around and give that Martian los-ther a taste of las-ther!"

The Cadet spun the wheel with expertise; this ship followed the turn smoothly. They came face to face with the mysterious spacecraft that dared to attack and pick a fight with them.

"Eah-dea, n-n-no way," the Cadet said, his mouth gaping from looking through the front window to see the attacker.

"Cadet, what's-th-th the matter?" Dodgers asked, irritated on why the Cadet froze like that.

"Sir, l-l-look out there," Cadet replied hesitantly, struggling to lift a finger to point.

"What's-th out there, again?" Dodgers asked, still not aware of the danger that would soon claim his exciting life. The Cadet managed to life his finger at the spacecraft that abruptly provoked and ruined their peace.

"Th-th-th-th-there!" the Cadet managed to yell out.

"… Th-still don't get it," Dodgers shrugged, but continued looking at their ominously floating enemy.

"… _Duck Dodgers…_," a dark, gruff voice whispered. It came from the communications screen, currently showing static and attempting to give a clear picture of the assailant.

It is from this enemy confrontation that the ultimate, inevitable future of Captain Duck Dodgers of the 24th and ½ Century will be determined from. His fate has been sealed, whether he likes it or not. Knowing the results ahead of time, he _might_ initially resent it, but Dodgers _will_ get used to it.

* * *

**Well, not bad for a prologue right? I've been reading other fics on the site, all kinds, and not only was I entertained, but I've learned a lot more on writing style than at school. I guess I just needed the freedom to write whatever my heart wants me to put down on paper. I also hope to introduce my cool OC soon. **

**Anyway, please review and tell me what you think about the potential of this story if I were able to continue it.**


	2. Enigma

**I just want to act this little play out of my head before it vanishes completely nad I forget what to write. I don't know what the rest of you think for my support for Dodgers and Ty'rahnee, but I figured there should at least be a few up on the sight. I might be one of the few who thinks that their supposed love is true despite how they behave outwardly towards each other and different people. Who knows? My ideas might actually make their relationship legit later on instead of both characters tottering about on stupidity and obsession, respectively. So this will definitely take some time. Thank you, who ever you are, for giving me support to continue.**

* * *

From where Captain Duck Dodgers was last left off, he and the Eager, Young Space Cadet were enjoying a peaceful day. They were work free and simply hovering aimlessly in the space between Earth and Mars, supposedly maintaining the boundary with other Galactic Protectorates as the means of free time.

Then out of nowhere, a stray yet powerful ionic laser shot Dodger's ship at its blindside. Not only was it "de-th-spicable" in Dodgers' terms, but the burn mark from the laser sullied a recently polished white hull. Turning the ship around, Dodgers and the Cadet discover the enemy craft simply hovering menacingly in the darkness of space while the communications screen crackled in static and a voice garbled in the transmission. As mentioned earlier, Duck Dodgers' fate had been ultimately sealed in steel upon engaging the confrontation head on.

"… _Duck Dodgers…_," a low and rather civil voice hissed from the speakers.

"Heh? Who was-th that?" Dodgers asked, staring at the static-filled screen with the same goofy look in his gullible eyes. He didn't even bother looking at the craft that toasted his ship. "Why does-th it th-sound like that actor, David Humphrey?"

"Y-Y-Y-You mean like 'David Humphrey' from the 20th Century off-Broadway musical comedy play, _For-Forev-Forev-Forever Plaid_?" the Cadet replied.

"No! I mean from the video game with the vampire!" Dodgers retorted hastily, placing a finger under his bill in doubt a second later. "Oh, wait! I think it's-th more likely from that hedgehog game."

"Enough!" the soft-spoken voice roared. "I don't need to hear comparisons of my voice to anyone else's."

The screen had finally been cleared of its troublesome static, giving a high definition look of the mysterious attacker. He closely resembled a young, handsome teenaged Earthling male suited in silver and scarlet armor. Around his upper body was a poncho-like cape connected by a red jewel in front of his neck; the fabric of the poncho was colored in a mix of violet and black, which extended down to his waist. The only traits that separated him from humans were his long pointed ears, his somewhat long silver-black hair with several strands standing and pointing slightly up from the back, a rather fierce glare from his oval golden pupils and rectangular-shaped eyes, and an unpleasant snarl with a pointed canine tooth. In simple terms for even Dodgers to understand, he was a foreign humanoid, another dangerous alien from who-knows-where. Yet the riddle of this person was whether he did good or evil.

"Hey! This-th kid al-th-so looks-th like that angsty hedgehog too!" Dodgers exclaimed in gleeful idiocy. The Cadet rubbed his temples while the stranger shook his head disapprovingly.

"I'm no Earth hedgehog, Duck Dodgers," he said calmly. "I am the last of my race, of superior and advanced bloodline. Because of an accident a long time ago, I'm both blessed… and cursed with ageless immortality. My name… is Noir." His name appeared on the screen in blood red cursive.

"Uh, 'Nor'?" Dodgers mispronounced. "How'd you get those-th letters on the th-screen like that?"

"Actually, Captain, it's pronounced 'n-n-n-n-no-ahr,'" the Cadet clarified. "It's French for 'black,' Captain Dodgers." Dodgers looked at him with a dull, bored expression.

"And I thought French was a romantic language," Dodgers commented, looking away from the Cadet.

"Stop it! Stop the foolishness, I say," Noir growled; his expression was dark. "Duck Dodgers, I've come searching for you."

"Oh, yeah? What's-th up?" Dodgers asked casually.

"I've heard of your supposed reputation as a top Captain of the Galactic Protectorate," Noir explained. "I've wanted to test your skills and your _luck_ for myself to see if the rumors were true back at the far side of the galaxy." Dodgers looked at him as if he was advertising useless Happy Cat products. He didn't need another alarm clock that murdered his soul every morning, that's for sure.

"C-C-C-Can you get to the, uh, conclu-conclu-conclu—, the point already?" the Cadet answered in Dodgers' stead. Noir pointed at the black duck intensely with his left hand. Unlike his right hand, Noir's left hand was equipped with a black gauntlet with silver rings of spikes decorating it. An uncomfortable feeling formed within the Cadet's stomach from seeing that gauntlet.

"I challenge him to a duel!"

"Great! Let me get my cards-th then!"

The Cadet smacked his forehead, grumbling mild incoherent swears under his breath. While he did respect Dodgers as a captain, he could really make the most ridiculous mistakes that even a newborn baby wouldn't make. That is, provided that the baby's not born an evil genius. There were enough of them roaming wild in the galaxy as it was.

"I'm coming over shortly," Noir stated coolly, suddenly evaporating from his seat of his control panel. The ship's systems started to accumulate readings of activity in the Evaporator Room.

"Captain, eah-de the intruder's coming in," the Cadet warned, running in place while waiting for the captain's response.

"And a-waaaaay we go!" Dodgers exclaimed, running off to the Evaporator Room with the Cadet trailing behind.

* * *

"There he is, Captain Dodgers," the Cadet whispered as loud as he could as Noir materialized in the glass pod. "The wandering thrill-seeker, Noir!"

"Cadet, this-th is-th no time for you to give the narrative play-by-play," Dodgers scolded, feeling a cold hand tap his shoulder. "Nyagh! Cadet, warm up your hands-th. They're cold as ice-th."

"Th-th-th-that wasn't me, Captain," the Cadet mumbled. His voice faded away out of impending fear.

"Ohh… he's-th right behind me, is-th-n't he?"

"… Uh-huh…"

"…"

"…"

"…!"

"… …"

"That's enough with the speechless dots!" Noir shouted, pushing his cape back and revealing a hidden katana hanging by the side of his belt in its slick-black sheath. The silence was broken by dread. He slowly drew his sword, which seemingly looked like an authentic katana made with an unknown and lustrous gray metal. It gave off an eerie, sinisterly purple vibe for dramatic tension. Its hilt was rather narrow and cylindrical. "Meet the sword that's stayed by my side in many battles against scum, Seul."

"Oh-ho! Th-So th-serious-th to lose-th already, are you?" Dodgers taunted, taking out his glowing green nunchaku from behind. "You think you beat me with an old-th-school th-sword like that?"

"Hmm, good point," Noir concurred, forming a tightlipped smirk. He pressed a hidden button underneath the hilt of Seul. The bladed edge of Noir's sword was imbued in red energy. "Even I know the future's where it's at."

Duck Dodgers looked like he was about to regret his earlier display of arrogance while still showing off his involuntary excellent mastership of the nunchaku. However, Noir stepped back, wielding his technologically improvised sword backhand.

"Eh, w-w-what now?" the Cadet asked, studying Noir's posture. "Are you p-p-p-permi-permi, I mean allowing Captain Dodgers the first strike?" Noir nodded slowly as his response.

"Let us see what you can do, _Captain_ Dodgers!" Noir beckoned, holding his sword up to obviously guard. "I've always preferred wielding a sword backhand. It makes me feel like a real renegade, deviating from the usual practices of traditional swordsmanship."

"Grr! Have at you!" Dodgers yelled.

"G-G-G-Go, Captain Dodgers!" the Cadet cheered.

The space-bound, black water fowl dashed forward with an ardent battle cry, spinning his green nunchaku behind him. Noir kept his guard up, maintaining a firm grip on the handle and keeping his piercing, serious eyes on the unpredictable moving target. The mysterious assassin watched as Dodgers leapt high into the air and, as though frozen by time, Dodgers slowly descended with his nunchaku ready to clobber anything in its path. Noir bent his knees and jumped with the extra power and momentum, ever ready with his slick sword and scarlet energy blade.

"YAAHH!!"

"HUUOO!!"

"O-O-Oh, dear!" the Cadet cried, seeing as Dodgers and Noir were about to collide attacks. He was unable to bare the sight of their powerful, eventual clash and cringed onto the floor.

* * *

Meanwhile at the imperial Martian Palace…

"My Queen! I've come bearing big news!" X-2 exclaimed, running inside the throne room. There sitting on the throne was the ever beautiful Queen of Mars, fanned with a large palm leaf by a robotic Martian Centurion.

"What is it this time, Commander?" Tyr'ahnee asked, suddenly taking an interest to the news the Martian Commander bore with him as he skittered about frantically.

"Your Highness, a Centurion reported to me not too long ago that there were two spacecrafts floating in the space between Mars and Earth," X-2 explained, suddenly out of breath.

"… Go on."

"Um, yes. It turns out that one of the immobile ships belongs to our greatest Earthling enemy, Duck Dodgers!" X-2 announced, shaking his fist at the name. Tyr'ahnee became more interested as soon as Dodgers' name was mentioned.

"Duck Dodgers, you say?" she asked in a cool, steady tone.

While the Martian Queen and her people recognized Captain Dodgers as their greatest enemy from Earth, she still harbored a secret love of sorts for the fickle and impulsive captain. Despite having her plans for conquest thwarted and her heart broken by the duck at nearly every confrontation, she still remained on his tail whether it'd be for some short-term revenge or inescapable obsession. That much was obvious to everyone except Dodgers himself, but why Tyr'ahnee still loved Duck Dodgers with all the trouble he caused her and X-2 in the past was still a mystery even to her.

But all mysteries _have_ to be solved eventually…

The mystery of Noir and the mystery of Tyr'ahnee's devotion…

* * *

**I will continue the fight scene for the next chapter. Who do you think will win? The dumb-luck magnet, Duck Dodgers? Or perhaps the stereotypical silent and serious OC, Noir? It should be obvious that I based him off of **_**Sega**_**'s Shadow the Hedgehog, what with the first voice actor, similar color schemes, and attitude. This is only the beginning and already I'm having fun making this story. **

**Please remember to review!**


	3. Duel

**I'm glad to see that this won't be a waste. I guess it was nostalgia that got me back into liking **_**Duck Dodgers**_**; compared to the cartoons of now, I don't think I'll even touch my own television now. That is excluding other shows and the news, of course. I do need to be up to date with current events.**

**So please enjoy the duel!**

* * *

Last time, the galactic duo of Captain Duck Dodgers and the Eager, Young Space Cadet were last seen dealing with an intruder aboard their ship. The enigmatic warrior from a far away galaxy, Noir, evaporated into their Evaporator Room, unexpectedly issuing a fight with the "great" Captain Dodgers. A direct assault, a combat that involved use of weapons, Dodgers couldn't escape from the invitation even if he tried. Noir was merciless, yet it was really unknown why he wanted to fight with Duck Dodgers. He claimed that it was because of Dodgers' reputation, but there's something secret hiding within Noir's tough exterior.

The two opposing fighters were about to exchange their first attacks, green-glowing nunchaku against scarlet-glowing katana, not knowing that someone had hacked into the Evaporator Room's security camera. The camera jiggled up and down and side to side repeatedly until it finally focused its lens and centered in on the onset battle of Duck Dodgers and Noir. Who were the hackers? Why, the transmission led back to the Martian main computer. There, the Commander and Queen discovered the one who dared to engage Dodgers in physical battle, seeing him for their own eyes.

"And… zoom!" X-2 exclaimed, pressing one final button. Their screen finally gave a clear reception of the fight. "Oh, goody! An entertaining fight for our own amusement, my Queen!"

"Commander, I must say to you," Tyr'ahnee said with a neutral expression, "although you are high-ranked and second-in-command of the Martian military next to _moi_, I really think—."

A sharp clang pierced through the sound barrier, breaking Tyr'ahnee's train of thought. She and X-2 discovered Dodgers, who held his nunchaku with both hands, was forcing Noir to the ground by attempting to disarm him from Seul. The red energy blade was caught in the nunchaku's durable rope. The clash of the weapons made a crackling, hum-like buzz. The sound was similar to that of two clashing lightsabers. Tyr'ahnee leaned in closer to the screen, her exotic, gorgeous eyes narrowing in anger and frustration.

"It would appear that Dodgers' new enemy has the uncanny ability to remain calm under pressure and behaves like quite an expert," X-2 pointed out, seeing as the surly stranger made no faces of struggling hardship. In fact, the interloper was rather enjoying the sport, holding Dodgers back without even trying. "It kinda makes me wish I was like that. So skillful and focused on the job; if I was like that, then I'd finally give Dodgers a run for his money. Oh ho ho!"

_Dodgers…_, Tyr'ahnee thought, her thin, svelte muscles tensing as she watched her secretly _beloved _Captain Dodgers easily repelled and pushed back by an unenthusiatic shove from the dull Noir.

* * *

"So you're a Galactic Protectorate Captain, huh?" Noir asked tauntingly. "Ha! You're more like a Protectorate _janitor_. Even a jestor at best. Are you even _trying_ to hurt to me?" He back-flipped, narrowly avoiding a vengeful swipe from Dodgers.

"Oh, yeah?! Th-says-th you!" Dodgers retorted heatedly, handling his nunchaku around his upper torso. "Up yours-th!" He expertly grabbed each end around his arms, preparing for another strike. Noir was leaping back, evading all of Dodgers' swipes with excellent finesse.

Their battle changed location, from the decks near the Evaporator Room to the kitchen and finally back in the main bridge of the ship. At every given opportunity before they had reached the bridge, they collided their weapons as dramatic standoffs. The results were often the same. They stared at each other with burning rage and resolve to win as sparks flew from the friction their touching weapons created. Then either Dodgers was pushed back into a vulnerable state or Noir purposely threw a standoff and somersaulted back to make things way more interesting. Even the serious fighter was having some fun against the pompous Protectorate Captain. Dodgers swung his nunchaku like a madman, attempting to knock Noir's head off while all he did was destroy everything in his path. Most of the things that got in his way were mainly the Cadet's possessions, which also posed as obstacles for Noir to step aside and not trip over. Because Dodgers was too unapproachable, Noir actually had difficulty trying to step inside through his defenses. At times when Dodgers was out of breath, Noir seized the moment, ready to slash the duck to scraps. Yet the battle still went on due to the impeccable timing of Dodgers' involuntary reflexes blocking and unconsciously avoiding Noir's strikes. Without even trying, Dodgers' nunchaku blocked Seul's bloody barrage.

Of course, during their destructive tour around the ship, neither one even noticed nor cared where they were. They were simply out to win a pointless duel, in the Cadet's logical retrospect anyway.

The Cadet scanned over Noir's physical features during the fight that led back to the main control room, attempting to determine which alien race he came from. From his knowledge of many things grand and trivial, the Eager, Young Space Cadet knew that his name was French for "black" whereas his sword, Seul, was also French. It meant "alone," which seemed rather fitting for the distant space swordsman. His skin was also light tan, meaning that he must have had some close exposure to the sun. Was it possible that Noir was from France? Earth's France? Did that mean that he was a human at some point? Yet, he totally deviated from human characteristics and lacked several human qualities, such as inhumanely trying to kill Dodgers since they've never even heard of the guy in the first place or offended him in any way. It's not even possible for Dodgers to screw up something for someone who'd appear out of nowhere for one day, for someone they've never heard of until just now. Nevertheless, the Cadet remembered the facts presented by Noir himself during his introduction earlier.

As always, the Cadet had his duties of assisting the captain in any way he can.

"C-C-Captain Dodgers, be careful!" the Cadet yelled from the sidelines. "He claims that he's the last of his people, meaning that h-h-h-he'll do what it takes to c-c-continu-continu-, I mean stay alive."

"Las-th-t of his-th people, eh?" Dodgers mused, forming insults to throw at his bitter opponent. "Does-th that mean that every night he mourns-th for the mommy and daddy he always-th wanted?" Noir was taken back, gripping his sword tightly in anger. His scowl had worsened. His eyes were grim, burning with the murderous heat of passion.

"That… _was a low blow_…," Noir growled in a deathly whisper. Dodgers and the Cadet were fearful for their lives, hugging each other while all the more for Dodgers to use his pig friend as a meat shield. "_Dodgers!_"

Noir pulled his sword back on his left side. The Cadet studied the posture carefully, suddenly panicking even more. Noir was preparing for a powerful thrust, capable of piercing through many things that depended on two crucial factors. A successful thrust would depend on both the type of metal the sword's forged of and the skill of the sword wielder. He was unfortunately caught in the middle of Noir and his captain, who was using him as a meat shield to save his own skin. Given Noir's vengeance and the unknown, yet powerful properties of Seul, the Cadet knew that he'd be easily torn like tissue while Dodgers escaped. The Cadet struggled to get out of his captain's grip, only to be placed farther from him for his own chance of survival.

"C-C-Captain! _P-Please_ let me go!" the Cadet screamed for his life. He heard Dodgers make a thinking hum before being tossed aside.

"Eh, what the heck," Dodgers said casually, resuming on spinning his nunchaku. It was as though he forgot why he was afraid in the first place, only for the memory to come back to him in the form of a serious, pissed off warrior coming straight at him with his blade pointing at him. "… Mother…"

Noir charged in with an unleashing roar that basically yelled "Punishment!" It took him a few steps before diverting most of his energy into his legs for a dramatic leap. With Seul outstretched out in front of him and directed at where Dodgers' heart is, it was certain that the stranger would soon attain victory. That was until…

"Come on, Dodgers! You better _not_ _lose_ to him or I swear _I'll _kill _you_!"

The main computer screen revealed an abrupt transmission from the Martian Palace. Who better to interrupt an aggressive duel to the death than the Martian Queen and the Commander? The speakers were at their highest volume when the Queen of Mars declared her threat, which managed to distract Dodgers from the battle. Noir, however, remained focused on winning and was mere inches away from victory. He sneered arrogantly, thinking that this was all too easy.

"What are you doing on th-screen?!" Dodgers demanded.

Duck Dodgers' impeccable reflex created a comedic timing in which Noir missed Dodgers' heart by only a few inches, only tearing against the side of his space suit. Dodgers didn't even feel the brief sting of the red blade as some black feathers and swipes of red escaped from the slash. Noir flew underneath Dodgers' raised left arm, screaming in aghast shock and crashing his sword in the middle of some control panels with no purpose.

"Uh, what she meant, Dodgers, is that Mars already has a claim to your head and we forbid you to lose to anyone else," X-2 explained. "If anyone's going to have your head, it's gonna be us! Isn't that right, Your Highness?"

"Hmm…? Ah! Yes, that is correct!" Tyr'ahnee exclaimed as though she woke up from a dreamlike trance. Resuming an authoritive, stern persona, Tyr'ahnee looked at Dodgers with a metaphoric flame burning in her eyes. "Like the Commander said, Dodgers, I forbid you to lose against that bad-boy wannabe! I'm already fed up with those kind of losers." She looked away, other thoughts consuming her mind. _And there's still a chance and more. I'm sure of it._

"And my Queen's word is law," X-2 added. A brief second had passed and the Queen of Mars resumed looking at the screen.

"I've got it from here, Commander."

"She's got it from here."

"… Dismissed, Commander."

"Dismissed…! Oh, she meant me. Very well then. Ta-ta!"

X-2 left the screen, allowing an excited Centurion to take his place to watch the show.

"Popcorn, Your Highness?" the Centurion asked, his single pupil beaming as he held out a popcorn bag to share.

"No thank you," Ty'rahnee said, lightly rejecting the offer.

* * *

"Now! Where was-th I before the Martians-th _rudely_ interrupted my most epic battle?" Dodgers announced, turning away from his only audience on screen and ignoring an "I heard that!" scream from Queen Tyr'ahnee. He exercised with his nunchaku, scanning the room for Noir. He discovered that his active sword was still embedded in some unimportant control panel, meaning that his foe was now armless while he still had his green weapon of choice. "Oh, where! Oh, where can my little Noir be!"

"He be _right_ here," a calm, cold voice hissed from the back of Dodgers' stupefied head. The duck captain slowly and grudgingly turned his head around, bill and all. Noir's frightening glare had already affected his soul before he made eye contact with the dangerous foe. "And I _hate_ nursery rhymes."

"Oh! Hey there, Noir!" Dodgers exclaimed, attempting to remain stable with a lighthearted greeting. Perhaps there was a way to quell Noir's hatred. Anything was possible at this point. "What's-th it like in this-th here galax-th-y?" Noir's unpleasant expression didn't change. "What's-th cooking?"

"_You!_"

* * *

**And I think I'll end here with this cliffhanger. That was really lucky that the Martians called in and allowed Dodgers to escape brutal impalement. Though Noir has no weapon on hand, you never know what a cornered mouse is capable of. Who is the cornered mouse, you ask? Noir because of his lacking a weapon? Or Dodgers because of the situation by the end of the chapter? **

**Stay tuned in and please review as always! **


	4. Injury

**I hope I'm not rushing the plot. However, I don't really plan having the fic go on very long either. I guess it should take as long as it needs… Sorry for my ramblings, but I think I really am having a lot of fun making this story. So many ideas in my head, I should put them down on paper immediately. :p**

**Well, the duel continues!**

* * *

A distracting transmission from the Martians was one thing for Duck Dodgers during a brutal fight in which no one had been wounded seriously yet, but allowing the opponent to sneak up on him with cold blood coursing through his veins was enough to give the wild captain a heart attack. However, if Noir's soul-glaring intimidation was not enough to give Dodgers a heart attack, then a direct assault on his heart would do the trick. The only problem was that Noir and Dodgers were last seen in a very close-range staring contest. The former's cold breath chilled Dodgers' skinny neck, lacking a sword that tasted the blood of once worthy beasts now reduced to scum. Dodgers, on the other hand, attempted to remain still as though he was frozen in time, thinking that this supposed nightmare would go away if he didn't make a sound and sudden movements.

_Don't make a move and he th-should dis-th-appear_, Dodgers thought, repressing his rising panic as his newly found menace continued to breath down his neck. He couldn't bear to make eye contact with Noir; heck, he can't even try to find a way to smile like the brave fool he always was this time around.

Duck Dodgers was finally cornered for the first time in his career.

The Cadet, fearing that he might be next to fall by Noir's hand, stealthily tiptoed to the main screen of the bridge which showed the Martian Queen attempting miserably to conceal her worry. Her only company, a Centurion, quietly hovered backwards out of anxiety, given the prediction of the Queen's somewhat abrasive personality when trouble came. Even as Commander X-2 reentered the computer room and found Tyr'ahnee and the Centurion, he quickly deduced that tensions were very high and strong. He quickly walked in and resumed his seat next to the Queen, only to be grabbed and shaken by her wavering hands.

Back with the Eager, Young Space Cadet, he was about to secretly transmit a message to the Galactic Protectorate about their brutal intruder. Noir got a whiff of his plan and pointed his left hand at him.

"Going somewhere, pig?" Noir asked without facing the trembling Cadet, still focusing his anger upon Dodgers. His thin black gauntlet gave the Cadet another uneasy feeling in the pit of his portly stomach.

"D-de-dea… W-What are you g-g-gonna do with that… t-thing…?" the Cadet whimpered, standing as firmly as he could, sweating profusely.

"It's really quite simple, porker," Noir replied rather genteelly; his sights still locked upon the subtly quaking Dodgers. "You do anything to interfere with my fight and my left hand _will_ silence you."

It was at this point that Duck Dodgers began to step up, fed up with the terrible death threats this stranger forced upon them if they were to cross him. Something within him snapped. The rising adrenaline urged him to speak out recklessly. The black duck's face became stable with a rather serious, yet at the same time comical expression. His eyes were red with rising veins and his nostrils snorted steam like a train whistle.

"Oh, _yeah_?!" Dodgers shouted loudly in Noir's face, holding his voice on the last word. Strong gales of burrito aftertaste and saliva spittle flew from his gaping bill, blowing Noir's hair all the way back.

His surfacing valor against the silent, but deadly warrior greatly impressed his small audience, especially one in particular watching from the regal sanctity of her palace's main computer. Again she fawned over him, much to X-2's mild annoyance. Sure they remained as very close friends since their breakup in the Martian wedding, but the Commander still couldn't help but feel protective over his beautiful Queen. After all, he wanted what was best for her and to see her smile. And her only source for happiness? Seeing _him_ in action when it didn't usually involve thwarting her plans of imperial conquest.

"W-W-Way to go, Captain Dodgers!" the Cadet cheered, feeling the fear receding away from his body.

"That's-th right, baby!" Dodgers exclaimed, repeatedly poking the unemotional assassin's face. Noir still made no reaction to Dodgers' surge of newfound confidence. "The _Cadet_ would like to see you try that!"

"D-De-a WHAT?!" the Cadet shouted when his captain attempted to pass the buck to him.

A brief moment had passed and the Cadet's clapping had slowed. His pudgy face was contorted with a dumbfounded expression. He began stuttering for his fear started to return full force into his system. He was astonished by the fact that Dodgers was recklessly redirecting Noir's anger to him and making him Noir's new target. But then again, he was often used as his scapegoat time and again. Poor Cadet…

A rather creepy smirk formed on the right side of Noir's face, amused by how long he managed to survive Dodgers' tomfoolery and shenanigans. A brief chuckle escaped his cold as stone lips, gradually escalating into a wicked evil laugh. Duck Dodgers, for one thing, was stunned by the sight. The duck, still trying to process the sight of Noir smiling and laughing even if the actions were sinister, had slowly walked back and made sure he didn't bump into anything during the escape.

_I wonder if whenever this guy th-smiles-th or laughs-th, an innocent puppy dies-th_, Dodgers thought with a traumatized look on his face.

* * *

Somewhere in a suburban area of planet Earth…

"Mom!" a little boy wailed.

"What is it, sweetheart?" the mother asked, entering the backyard.

"Scooter died!" the boy cried, holding up an inanimate puppy that would otherwise look pretty healthy if it was awake. "I don't know how it happened! Waaaaah!" The mother took the puppy in her arms and examined it, attempting to find the cause of death. No scratches, no blood loss, no diseases or parasites. The family had Scooter vaccinated with the best shots and fed it as they should.

"Sweetie, I think that these kinds of things… um, just happen for no reason at all," the mother explained, consoling her son as best as she could. _Either that or a no-nonsense and somewhat psychotic space warrior decided to smile now…_

* * *

Back with the duel's nearing conclusion…

The Cadet was about to call in the Galactic Protectorate for help until Noir threatened him with the power of the mysterious black gauntlet on his left hand. During that moment, Dodgers managed to inconspicuously leave Noir's sight. Finally on the main monitor of the bridge, it showed the transmission of Tyr'ahnee, X-2, and the Centurion crowding around at their end and restlessly waiting for the battle to end.

"Do you have any more plans left before I quickly extinguish you for interference?" Noir asked, his attention apparently now locked upon the Cadet.

"D-de-a… w-what…?" the Cadet stuttered, taken back a little bit by the sudden cool civility.

"I said, 'Do you have any more plans left before I quickly extinguish you for interference'?" Noir repeated, precisely aiming his fingers at the Cadet's head.

The Cadet froze and pretended to scan the room while avoiding eye contact. He first placed his eyes upon the monitor with worried Martians watching him, waiting for his next choice of action. The right choice was what they hoped from the Cadet. His eyes then crept to the other side, skimming over pass Noir and Dodgers sneaking up from behind with silently twirling nunchaku…

_C-C-Captain Dodgers…!_ the Cadet's inner voice exploded in shock; his vision retracted upon the sight of Noir and Dodgers. His round eyes widened while all the more hoped that he didn't give away his captain's perfect position. Noir narrowed his eyes; the Cadet's expression gave it all away. He snarled his toothy snarl, slowly curling into a terrible grin.

"So… you all really want to _throw it all away_?!" Noir asked menacingly, sensing Dodgers right behind him. He balled his left hand into a fist, instinctively ducking as Duck Dodgers threw in a powerful swipe. The nunchaku went over his head and instead it struck Dodgers at the fresh wound on the left side of his upper body. He now felt pain, the earlier pain that Noir meant to strike upon him.

"Ee-YEOWCH!" Dodgers yelped. He reeled over, clutching his left side, as the stinging sensation overtook his neural receptor senses, or remaining neural activity thereof.

"Dodgers!" X-2 and Tyr'ahnee yelled. Their greatest and most annoying Earthling enemy was losing it to a dark/neutral-aligned fighter with an attitude.

"C-C-Captain! Watch out!" the Cadet shouted, vigorously pointing at the cruel being towering above the captain. The lisping Protectorate Captain was delirious from the strike of his own nunchaku on his sword wound.

"Is-th it S-th-unday brunch already…?" Dodgers mumbled as though he had a stomachache. His bleeding wound left the poor captain delusional, the stings coming back at twice the suffering. Noir wound his left fist back, crackling with crimson energy. It only took a moment for the dark fighter to send a brutal punch at the back of Dodgers' head.

_CRACK!_

A sickening, cracking noise erupted on contact. The tension of the dramatic knock-out scene froze the air like black and white. An orange bill, briefly accompanied by a few streaks of scarlet discharge, was seen flying a certain distance before slowly and excruciatingly dropping onto the cold metal floor. A dull thud was then heard following the fall of the bill. It was all over…

"Hmph… and it only took one punch," Noir whispered to himself, staring at his trembling left hand. He brushed away the remnants of the bloody red crackling on his powerful gauntlet; the silver spiky rings were stained in black red. Noir looked up, curious to see the reactions of the small audience that witnessed his terrible, seemingly immortal power… and his most violent victory as of yet.

The Cadet's skin paled throughout his entire chubby body; the blood rushed away rather quickly. Commander X-2 was gagging, which then became a real need for vomit. He quickly shuffled out of the computer room, leaving Tyr'ahnee and a fainted Centurion behind.

As for Tyr'ahnee, she looked like she did not suffer on the _outside_ like the rest of them. She looked at the screen blankly, giving the impression that she was indeed in shock due to her peculiar behavior. Her wide blue pupils dilated and paled. The Martian Queen was rendered catatonic, an almost comatose state as it was. The awakening Centurion robot noticed the Queen in this state and measured her pulse and breathing rate with his built-in meters.

"_D-Dodgers…_," Tyr'ahnee whispered; her soft, wilting voice barely escaped her nonexistent lips.

"Hmm… Both breath and heart rate accelerated seconds ago when Dodgers was… _bzzt_… incapacitated," the Centurion reported, reading the statistics from the monitor built in his left wrist. Tyr'ahnee had not stirred; she remained watching the screen blankly. The Centurion became worried, swerving his head back and forth before looking back into the screen that showed Dodgers' ship. "Um, we'll be logging off now."

He pressed a button and the transmission from the Martian Palace ended.

* * *

"I guess I shouldn't have raised my expectations upon meeting this duck," Noir muttered, looking down upon Dodgers' twitching body. His erratic movements started to slow and lessen, inevitably becoming lifeless. "To think, I looked forward to having to consider him as a rival…"

"W-Wh-What?" the Cadet queried, dumbfounded by the discovery of Noir's motive.

"I've searched far and wide for a rival worthy to test my strength against, to motivate myself to become stronger so that one day, I'd ultimately come out as the champion… or finally fall with honor against the stronger life form," Noir explained, looking out the window of the ship and gazing upon the widespread star lights illuminating the emptiness of outer space. "I told you that I was cursed with youthful immortality. My family, the people I've cared for, and my greatest rival: they're all gone, erased from the universe by the endless sands of time."

"A-And you still continue carry on y-y-your people's l-lega-legac-legac, I mean tale?"

"That's right," Noir replied curtly, contemplatively closing his eyes. _Bleu…_

The Cadet remained calm despite witnessing the fall of his captain. One great characteristic about the Cadet was that he knew when he was beaten. Going into a rage drive and charging at Noir to avenge Dodgers would have been a fruitless, suicidal endeavor. Only if Noir decided to attack would the pig retaliate the best he could before meeting his end. He watched Noir's every move, from retrieving Seul from its planted imprisonment on a control panel to walking slowly towards the Cadet. So far, there was no reason that would provoke Noir into attacking the vulnerable Cadet and it would have been best left that way.

"I-I think you'd better l-leave," the Cadet requested sternly.

"Your captain's still alive if that is what's bothering you, Cadet," Noir said, accessing his ship's network via his high-tech gauntlet. "Don't know how long he'd live, though. Judging from the Martian Queen's expression before hanging up, I'd say you'd better hurry." He placed his right hand on the pig's shoulder just to sympathize with him. The Cadet calmly and firmly grabbed his arm with both of his hands and bluntly removed his hand from his shoulder, carefully eyeing Noir's left hand.

"Is there a-a-anything that gauntlet of yours _can't_ do?"

"It can't come in a better style; that's all I can think of. If I were you, I'd get intensive help for your duck posthaste. Earth's pretty far at this spot."

"D-De-a, please leave."

"Allow me to at least give you one… last… gift."

Noir evaporated in a golden light. His particles atomized and vanished out of sight from Duck Dodgers' ship. The Cadet was about to sigh in relief and ran to the controls of the ship, only to discover that the majority of them were destroyed during the duel. It was courtesy of Dodgers' mad, destructive style. As he tried to regain control of the ship, he received another transmission whose source was unidentifiable. That was until _he_ showed up back on screen.

"W-W-What do you want n-now, Noir?" the Cadet asked, irritated from seeing him again.

"Here's one last gift from _moi_," Noir replied, his tone cool and insidious. "Look out your window."

The Cadet did as he was instructed, seeing Noir's ship rising and powering up. The size of his ship looked rather small; it was one-fourth the size of Dodgers' ship. Considering that this was Noir he was dealing with, the Cadet never took such things for granted. The ship had a pointed nose and cockpit attached to a half-spherical body. The main body and nose were colored in a mix of black and midnight blue, giving the ship a decent camouflage in deep space. Three appendages started to unfold from the back of the half-sphere body. One g-diffuser emerged from the top, curved upward like the strands of Noir's hair. Two wings extended from the sides of the ship, also angled up. All three appendages were colored blood red.

"W-W-What are you doing?!" the Cadet yelled incredulously.

"Dodgers wasted my time and must pay," Noir explained. "Nothing personal."

"'N-N-Nothing p-personal'?!" the Cadet repeated. "You said it yourself that Captain Dodgers wasted your time for a better nem-neme-nemes—, rival!"

"It would benefit all of us, though I'm sorry that you still remain loyal to that sorry excuse of a captain," Noir said, controlling a targeting cursor over Dodgers' ship on screen. "Sayonara, Duck Dodgers."

Noir pressed the button, launching another powerful ionic laser from the cannon hidden in the ship's nose. The blast seared through Dodgers' ship, passing through the entire spacecraft without a hint of dissipating. After it burned through the ship, parts of the ship's engines exploded in a fiery mess. Dodgers' ship became unstable. It descended gradually, collapsing into pieces in a slow, agonizing process.

With his business finished in this side of the galaxy, Noir departed without looking back at the falling ship of his latest victim. The only thing he heard before he was out of sight was the Cadet's panicking screams. He lost his hope of finding a worthy rival in Duck Dodgers of this quadrant of the galaxy. Ever restless and full of angst about his own future, Noir shifted to hyperdrive and disappeared at the blink of an eye.

The Eager, Young Space Cadet quickly ran diagnostics of the ship before its total failure. A series of miniature fiery explosions erupted around the engines of the ship, quickly spreading around the body like a plague. The Cadet stuttered to himself on how he was going to survive this dire situation. Before he totally lost himself to his overwhelming fear and panic, the Cadet sent out an SOS signal in hopes that someone would receive it in time. The pig sidekick should really count his blessings as the monitor, still fully functional, was receiving a feedback transmission.

"Is this… Dodgers' ship…?" a familiar and rather timid voice asked.

"This is th-the Cadet! I'm facing certain d-d-doom-doom—trouble! Over!" the Cadet yelled, attempting to maintain control of the failing spaceship.

"Cadet? Oh, how lovely to hear that you're peachy!" Martian Commander X-2's voice exclaimed, his form finally showing up on monitor. "How's Dodgers?"

"We need help n-n-now!"

"Hold on. I'm already sending a pair of Martian ships to catch you in their tractor beams. That way, Dodgers' ship should still remain intact and it would be easier to repair."

"T-T-Thank you!" the Cadet exclaimed graciously, looking up at the monitor to see X-2 and a Centurion overseeing the launch of the Martian ships. The Cadet could have also sworn that by the corner of his eye, Tyr'ahnee looked like she was still frozen in shock before the Martians logged out earlier. _D-dea, oh, boy. Her Majesty doesn't look well, which is… gulp… understandable._

* * *

**I was going to have Noir share his past here originally. But as the story's summary stated, the Cadet and the Commander would have chase after him to both learn more about him and avenge Dodgers. **

**And if you had noticed Noir's thoughts stating "Bleu" earlier, then you should have figured out that this Bleu character was his greatest rival. With Bleu translated as French for "blue," then you'd see that this was based from **_**Sega**_**'s Sonic the Hedgehog. Ha! Now I have both of them introduced into the story, but I promise there will be more to come! **

**Don't forget to please review as always!**


	5. Trouble

**I hope I'm not rushing everything, from the duel to the rescue. I guess even the writer can be impatient at making their own stories. Anyway, I'm still glad that I manage to satisfy those who were willing to read my story. Not many people are reading this, I know, but it's still better than no one, right?**

* * *

The duel between the infamous Galactic Protectorate Captain, Duck Dodgers, and the mysterious dark assassin, Noir, had finally come to a bloody end. It had resulted in Noir's ultimate victory… and Dodgers' brutal demise. A scarlet charged punch from Noir's spiked left fist had incapacitated the unfortunate duck, leaving him without a bill while at the same time giving him an atrocious wound at the back of his head. Those who bore witness, which included the Eager, Young Space Cadet, Martian Commander X-2, Queen Tyr'ahnee, and a Centurion robot, were rendered into a brief stupor of shock and horror over the loss over their beloved duck. That was until Noir left with one final gift for Dodgers.

"Sayonara, Duck Dodgers."

Noir sent one blast from his ship's ionic laser cannon to quickly and thoroughly tear through Dodgers' ship before engaging in hyperspace to look for a new opponent. The Cadet had thought quickly and sent out a distress signal, which was immediately picked up by the closest station, the imperial Martian Palace. Understanding what they've went through, X-2 sent out two sturdy Martian military ships to rescue the Cadet and the injured captain.

The rescue was fortunately a success. The Martian ships caught Dodgers' collapsing spaceship in their tractor beams before it burned up in Mars' atmosphere. The Martians gradually descended with the broken Protectorate ship in tow. They landed by the Martian Palace, where help was immediately distributed for the Earthlings under extenuating circumstances that some alien messed with _their_ main target.

So within the foyer of the Martian Palace…

The Cadet, X-2, and Tyr'ahnee gathered around Duck Dodgers' mangled body lying on his own mobile, cushioned bed. It was not too late to save his life. The duck's body was basically and pretty much covered in bandages from head to toe like a mummy. His entire head, save it for a certain area at the back of his head, was completely wrapped in bandages due to his dislodged bill. That area and the sword wound on the left side of his body were in sown up and in stitches. Yes, Duck Dodgers was a pathetic sight to behold.

"C-C-Captain Dodgers fought bravely, considering he's often f-f-fle-flee-flee, I mean run away from vicious opponents," the Cadet said plaintively.

"He was a brave fool," X-2 added, "but he was _my_ brave fool. I deserved to have that long sought victory over Dodgers. Not that Noir character!"

Queen Tyr'ahnee knelt down by Dodgers' side, lightly placing her dainty hand on his bandaged bill. She caressed his head, feeling his terrible injuries for herself. She remained silent, but her eyes did not. Her exotic eyes greatly mourned for the duck that continuously overthrew her plans and kept her passionate heart in captivity. There were no tears, but her sadness and sorrow were great and seemingly bottomless. She was still in love with him, that much was certain. Even when the Martian Commander and Dr. I.Q. Hi showed her the truth of her hero's ridiculous flaws and imperfections, she remained smitten by Dodgers' ebullient charm. It was this power, this presence that kept her spellbound and confirmed her feelings for Dodgers as real. Even when Dodgers showed no interest or emotional attachment to her, she still kept a small spark of hope that one day Duck Dodgers would reciprocate her love. Tyr'ahnee loved him in spite of his obvious idiotic imperfections, proving that she was capable of being a true lover. She just wanted that one duck to give back the love she gave out.

But her chances have been jeopardized by the interference of that rude space warrior…

"Commander, Cadet, to me," Tyr'ahnee finally spoke. The Cadet and X-2 exchanged worried glances and approached her gingerly. The Martian Queen stood back up on her feet with her hand still on Dodgers' soft head.

"What is your wish, My Queen?" X-2 asked, bowing in humility. It only took a moment for Tyr'ahnee's sadness to change into rage.

"I will not tolerate this terrible outrage of _universal_ proportions! Duck Dodgers nearly lost his life to some nobody while Mars was after him after all this time. How can you, of all people, allow this transgression to stand any longer?!"

"My Queen, I think you may be blowing this out of proportion…?" X-2 replied weakly. Tyr'ahnee gave him an unsatisfied look. "… Mommy…!"

"Commander, I apologize if I sound _upset_, but this is unforgivable! I order you to send out our military to track down Mars' newest, most wanted criminal! I want Noir's severed head, _dead_ or alive!"

"You Highness, p-p-please!" the Cadet intervened, coming in between her and the frightened Commander. "You're taking this w-w-way too h-hard."

"This is Mars' affair, Cadet," Tyr'ahnee said icily. "This doesn't concern you."

"I say i-i-it _does_ c-c-concern me. Duck Dodgers is my c-c-cap-cap—leader. I don't want Noir t-t-to get away with this, too."

"Oh, really?" Tyr'ahnee asked skeptically. "And what can _you_ do to avenge your captain?"

"W-Well, I know one thing's f-f-for certain," the Cadet began, closing his eyes tightly. He took a deep breath, averse to present to truth of their situation. He knew it must be done. "Noir is a r-r-ruthle-ruthle—coldblooded individual. He s-s-seeks to find a worthy rival to test his s-s-skills against and will an-an-annihil-annihila—destroy everything that gets in his way. I couldn't stop him alone b-b-back on the ship. I knew that I d-didn't stant a chance against Noir."

"The Cadet does have a point, Your Highness," X-2 concurred. "From my own analysis, he would stop at nothing to accomplish his goals. Dodgers was lucky to leave with an ounce of life left." The three of them glanced at the sleeping duck wrapped underneath many bandages. Tyr'ahnee's eyes softened at the peaceful scene.

"Very well," Tyr'ahnee sighed. "I can see now that I acted rash and nearly sent our men into dangerous territory. But what can we do about this? Noir might fall beyond our reach by the time we decide on a plan."

"D-de-dea… there's no need to worry about that, Queen," the Cadet said with a confident grin on his chubby face. "The moment Noir t-t-touched me with his hand, I placed a tiny, un-n-noticeable tracker on his arm in the ruse of pushing his arm off m-m-me. Wherever he goes, we'll b-b-be sure to f-find him."

"Excellent work in the face of opposition, Cadet," X-2 applauded. "And I think I might have the perfect plan on what to do with our troublesome target."

"Please elaborate, Commander," Tyr'ahnee urged.

"Why it's quite simple, actually. We build a gigantic laser cannon, pinpoint his exact location and coordinates, and blast him out of space in Dodgers' name. Huh?"

His proposal was met with silence. A brief wind blew into the Martian Palace somehow, followed by the rolling tumbleweed.

"Noir's too fast," Tyr'ahnee said. "If we fired and missed, then he'd come after us and butcher the entire Palace like he did to my beloved… I meant enemy!"

"Well then, do _you_ have a better idea, Your Highness?" X-2 queried, crossing his arms at the rejection of his idea.

"I decree that you, Commander, and the Cadet go after him since you two make an excellent team. Come back with him as your prisoner and I will reward you both handsomely. What do you say?"

"If that means a promotion, then I'll do it!" X-2 confirmed, eager to please his Queen.

"I better let Dr. I.Q. Hi know about t-this so he w-w-wouldn't worry," the Cadet said, looking at X-2. "Can you l-l-lead me to the computer room?"

"No problem," X-2 said. The duo left to deliver the message to Earth before departure.

Tyr'ahnee looked around the foyer. No Centurion robot or Martian handmaiden was around the room. The Queen of Mars was finally left alone. Her eyes were contemplative, scanning over Dodgers' battered body. She rested her hand upon his covered cheek. Oh, how she wished she could continue laying her hand on his cheek in a loving gesture. Duck Dodgers was adamant on remaining a bachelor, just for him to shamelessly win over crowds of ladies. Yet from X-2's report during the attack of the mental parasitic Fudd, Dodgers not only wanted the trio of him, the Cadet, and the Martian Commander as a team, but as a family. That's right; a _family_ of him being the "daddy," X-2 being the "mommy," and the Cadet as the "baby in diapers." She couldn't but feel a bit envious of X-2 at first hearing that, but what she couldn't understand was why Dodgers would contradict himself by wanting a family while being a bachelor at the same time. Confusing duck…

But moving on from the past encounters, Queen Tyr'ahnee was finally alone with her most hated enemy… and her most wanted affection.

* * *

Somewhere in the darkest crevices of an unknown galaxy…

Twelve of the most wanted and most vicious criminals of the universe were gathered into an unknown and abandoned space station. Hey, where has this happened before? This is quite nostalgic. Anyway, a mysterious marauder had summoned them from the far corners for one ultimate goal: to eliminate Duck Dodgers and conquer the universe.

These criminals ranged from Long John Silver the 23th, Nasty Canasta, the Crusher, K'Chutha Sa'am, the New Cadet, Count Muerte, a disguised Catapoid, Fudd, Baby-Faced Moonbeam, the Tasmanian Warrior, Commandante Higalgo, and strangely Black Eel. The original members of the Legion of Duck Doom would serve _his_ purpose for universal conquest. Gathered together in the meeting room, the criminals talked about why they were here _again_ in the first place as the back of the leader's chair was turned to them.

"Attention, evil doers!" his gruff, suave voice commanded.

"Listen, before you speak, I reckon that this is because the no-good varmint, Duck Dodgers, was behind your anger!" Sa'am declared.

"Aye! So what's yer reason?" Silver queried.

"We all had a beef with Dodgers in the past, and us being here again means that you have something against that duck," Canasta stated.

"Oh, father," Moonbeam sighed at the name of Duck Dodgers.

"Yes, you are all correct about Dodgers being our main enemy here," the mysterious leader said. "And our hatred for that Earth duck will eradicate him for good _and_ rule the universe."

"Oh! Oh-oh! I'm nowmally a big idea pewson like you, but conquewing the univewse?" Fudd asked.

"Right again," the leader said, slowly turning his chair around and revealing his true identity.

"You?!" Black Eel yelped, followed by several shocked expressions.

"I thought you were incarcerated!" Sa'am shouted in disbelief.

"It's simple," he replied sinisterly. "A former Martian General knows his way around and can rouse a small jail break-out." It was none other than the power-hungry ex-General, Z-9, in a darker, battered version of his Martian armor. His rebuilt, upgraded, and more seductive robotic Martian councilor, Dish 2.0, took her side by the mad Martian leader.

"But why would you want to help us?" Higalgo asked.

"We all share animosity with the one duck that stood in our way to our goals," Z-9 explained coolly. "I'm giving the Legion of Duck Doom a second chance after its original leader failed to fulfill its main object."

"Ye mean that treacherous machine, Roboto?" Silver inquired.

"Who else?" Sa'am replied harshly to Silver.

"Of course, I'm leaving the department of eliminating Duck Dodgers to my most trusted second-in-command I met in jail," Z-9 announced, ushering in his new calculating partner from a nearby empty doorway.

"Hello, Claric-th-e," his evil voice echoed from the corridors of the dark doorway he approached.

"Uh, who's Clarice?" the New Cadet asked around. "I know that's not my name."

"And why does that lisp sound familiar?" Canasta added; a chill went down his spine.

"Oh, s-th-orry. That was-th jus-th-t my introduction, intended to s-th-trike fear in the hearts-th of all beings-th pres-th-ent, es-th-pecially the ladies-th."

Z-9's second-in-command came out of the shadows. His appearance brought up confusion initially, but it all turned into fear once the members knew who they were truly dealing with. One of the most evil and ingenious criminals out there, his appearance alone made the rest of the Legion's members look like regular upstanding citizens of society. The twelve original members cowered, unable to restrain their tongues from proclaiming their enemy's criminally insane twin.

"Drake Darkstar!" they all yelled in admiring fear.

_How delicious-th_, Darkstar thought, taking his place next to Z-9 and Dish. _My reputation precedes-th me, even with these hapless-th fools-th…_

This was just the beginning of the worse.

* * *

**Now seemed like a good time to introduce the reemerged Legion of Duck Doom I mentioned first chapter. I've wanted to include Z-9 and Drake Darkstar since they seem to be the greatest enemies of the spinoff series. Though in my opinion, I'd say Darkstar rules them all. From the pursuit of Noir to the Legion's rebirth, what will happen next?**

**Please review as always!**


	6. Plan

**I'm surprised on how much and quickly I updated last week. One day after another, but even I have others things to do. I needed this break, even though I'm sure that there are other authors that take a month or more to update. Well, here's the next chapter that gets into more action and drama and such. Or maybe not. Please work with me here!**

* * *

Last time, the Eager, Young Space Cadet was saved by the Martian's involvement of his plight. What was his plight again? Why, Duck Dodgers was brutally wounded from head to webbed toe by a callous being that was as dark as his enigmatic background, that's how. Noir, the ultimate wanderer, searched for a true rival to test his impressive fighting skills against. His search led him to Dodgers, and was unsatisfied by what he was given. For the waste of time, Noir blew his ship out of space which led to the Martian's involvement.

If anyone was going to finish off Duck Dodgers, Mars had the first rights to his head before anything else.

So far, the Cadet and Martian Commander X-2 were still contacting Dr. I.Q. Hi to spread the news of Dodgers' fall. The network server was rather slow. The connection between I.Q.'s office and the Martian Palace was still loading.

"Gee, I-I-I don't know how it c-c-came to this," the Cadet said, worried. "One minute, Captain Dodgers and I were en-en-en-enjoy—relishing a fine day. Then that ps-ps-psychotic swordsman a-a-attacks us and injures the poor Captain."

"Oh, how dreadful," X-2 commented. "Are you sure Dodgers did not do anything to provoke the said psychotic swordsman into attacking you?"

"I-I-If he did, Noir w-w-would have said something," the Cadet replied, looking at the _Loading…_ animation on screen. "Say, you still have a thing for the Queen right?" X-2 glanced at the pig as though he was spouting gibberish.

"Oh, my, that came rather out of left field."

"S-S-S-Sor-Sorr… I apologize. It's just that you didn't r-r-react much to her concern o-o-over Captain Dodgers." The Cadet heard the Martian Commander release a deep sigh, even though the Martian had no mouth. His tired, round eyes told him enough on how he felt about all of this.

"Cadet, I truly love my Queen, I really do," X-2 confessed, looking away. "But even you remember what happened back at our wedding. It seems that whether Dodgers cares or not, he somehow makes my life miserable."

"I-I-It's not your fault that the Legion of Duck Doom crashed the wedding just f-f-for an attempt at the Captain's life, Martian."

"Ah, you don't know how true you are," X-2 sighed again, pacing about around the computer. "Seeing how Dodgers made a loyal follower out of that robot impressed the Queen enough before you joined the fray, Cadet. I guess it's just that overpowering 'charm' of his. I would have otherwise moved on to a better archenemy that to stick around him for long."

"S-So you do respect him."

"He's earned the Queen's respect… and her heart. And all I want is for her to be happy. If Dodgers can provide what I failed to bring for the Queen, then I can finally rest in peace. If I'm not fit enough to be the Queen's consort, then the least I can do is serve her and Mars till the day I'm shot out of the sky."

"B-Boy, that's r-r-really mature of you to think like that, Martian," the Cadet praised. "At least you're still on good terms with her since then."

"I'm pretty much her best friend when you think about it," X-2 mused. "… No wonder she's lonely. That royal job of hers really killed much of her social life."

"What about her p-p-previous job as Miss Mars?" the Cadet inquired.

"The Royal Council of Mars demanded that she stay on her path to royalty instead of continuing her hobby, and at a young age too," X-2 explained. "The Council also says that her modeling is just attracting more perverted peasants to the imperial palace. Some of them were not even Martians!"

"T-T-That's b-b-b-b-bu-bull—just plain silly," the Cadet said, shaking his head. "I g-g-guess when you think of it this way, it's a w-w-wonder how she became a tyrannical r-r-ruler with a cold, i-i-iron fist."

"No one said that the royal life is the best life," X-2 shrugged. "The Queen's strength and wisdom of Mars was why she was chosen to take up the crown, aside from inheritance of course. Always having to find what's best for Mars and never any personal time for herself, I actually have pity for her. Even when she has more free time these days, she doesn't even remember having them due to her being so used to her imperial obligations of conquering and whatnot years back."

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Hello? Hello?" a familiar voice called out.

"D-D-Dr. I.Q. Hi!" the Cadet exclaimed.

"Cadet? What are you doing in the Martian Palace?" I.Q. Hi queried as his image came on screen. "If you hadn't already realized, Earth and Mars are still pretty much in war. Even Dodgers knows that since he continuously boasts about kicking the Commander's butt."

"Excuse me, but the _Commander_ is standing right over here," X-2 called out, annoyed.

"Erm, so you are… Cadet, what's the meaning of this?"

"I-I-It's Captain Dodgers I want t-t-to talk to you about, sir," the Cadet said meekly, saluting him. He saw I.Q. Hi release a big sigh on the screen; nonetheless, it was usual behavior when the Cadet was filing a report on Duck Dodgers.

"What has Dodgers gotten himself into _this_ time?" I.Q. Hi queried in a bored tone.

"S-S-Sir, he's gravely injured and is currently in the M-M-Martian Queen's care," the Cadet explained, worried about what I.Q.'s reaction was going to be. In a heartbeat, I.Q. Hi quickly rose out of his chair, looking incredulously back at the Cadet and Martian Commander.

"You're kidding me…!" I.Q. Hi exclaimed as though he was out of breath. "Duck Dodgers was actually defeated by a powerful opponent instead of his ironic dumb luck saving him? How… How did this happen?"

"Well for one thing, we're puppets of a mysterious being who claims that he is the almighty follower of a dimensional-traveling jester," X-2 brought up, looking up. The Cadet and I.Q. followed suit, confused on who or what the Martian Commander was referring to. _Up there…_

"O… kay… How about you, Cadet?" I.Q. Hi asked, ignoring the last proposal.

"Simply put, sir," the Cadet began," we were just mind our own business until this alien f-f-f-fighter attacked us out of the black. His n-name was Noir, a thrill-seeking assassin from what I could g-g-g-gath-gathe—surmise."

"He claimed that his goal was to find a new perfect rival to best him at a fair standoff," X-2 added, "just to end his wretched immortal life. I still don't understand why we couldn't have unleashed the wrath of Mars upon him."

"I t-t-told you that Noir is completely ruthless to achieve his goals," the Cadet answered in a harsh, reasoning tone. "If someone like Noir was actually able to d-d-d-defe-defe—take down Captain Dodgers, then what chance d-d-does the Martian military have? He'll slice you all apart one by one!"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh…," X-2 muttered, shaking his round head. "No need to be melodramatic about it. I'm not about to let this Noir being get away like this either."

"So it's a good thing w-w-we're both going after him then."

"Whoa whoa whoa! Say what?" I.Q. Hi inquired disbelievingly. "Cadet! Commander! Do you guys have a death wish or some newly acquired mental disorder when Dodgers was wounded?"

"S-Sir?"

"You don't know anything about this Noir. For all you know, you could be walking into a trap."

"B-But sir…"

"Hah… fine," I.Q. Hi finally said, rubbing his temples. "Look, hearing that Dodgers was brutally taken down was a shocker. The first _real _shocker I've had in a long time, actually. I've known in the past that Dodgers may be incompetent, unreliable, insensitive, selfish, rude, unpredictable, disorganized, irritating,—."

"Get to t-t-the point already," the Cadet sighed exasperatedly.

"One more," I.Q. Hi replied, placing his rubber-gloved arms behind his back. "Poorly groomed. Okay, if you truly want to avenge Duck Dodgers and capture Noir, then the least I can do for you guys is to offer you two a background check on him as you start your search for him."

"T-T-Thank you, sir," the Cadet said, bowing alongside the Martian Commander. "We're most honored for your a-a-assistance."

"We'll take my ship since Dodgers' is still in the Repair Ward," X-2 said, shaking his keys in his hands as indication.

"Very well," I.Q. Hi concluded. "If there's no more business left, I.Q. out!"

* * *

Somewhere far away in the darkest crevices of some dark galaxy inside an abandoned space station…

The revived Legion of Duck Doom plots its next move on annihilating Duck Dodgers from existence and conquering the universe. The latter goal was more of a treat to Z-9 than the other galactic villains. The majority of them, which was the twelve original members, just wanted to be rid of Dodgers once and for all.

And Drake Darkstar?

The evil duck doppelganger was simply being Drake Darkstar. His plans and motives were his own, though he wouldn't mind sharing in the feast of Dodgers' planned defeat with his fellow villains. Even if the saying of the feast was literal, Darkstar wouldn't mind filling his stomach with his goody-goody twin freshly baked.

"So when in Sam Hill are we gonna strike down that no-good, razza-frazza varmint?" Sa'am asked aloud, twirling his long mustache.

"I was wondering when you 'gentlemen' were going to ask me that," Z-9 said with cold confidence. Dish 2.0 activated the holographic map situated on the wall behind the former Martian General. It displayed the entire solar system, which ranged from the nine original planets. Their present location was displayed with a holographic map of their galaxy next to the first map.

"Ooh, fancy stuff," Crusher remarked, mesmerized by the bright projection.

"And the map is for…?" Higalgo inquired, spinning his hand around as a gesture for someone to fill in.

"To mark our positions around the quadrants of the universe, you incompetent," Z-9 snapped, his brief display of anger quickly deteriorating and rendering him back to his cool self. "Yes, so anyway I've discussed this plan with Councilor Dish and Darkstar. And considering your motivations of destroying Dodgers is great, we've agreed on the simple 'divide and conquer' strategy."

"Gweat! Now elabowate, if you please," Fudd suggested.

"After considering all of your unique talents and which environments would receive the best benefits from, we've assigned you to different places to intercept Dodgers if he should happen to pass by," Z-9 explained. With his strong arms crossed in front of his chest, he resumed facing the holographic maps. "Any questions?"

"Aye!" Silver hollered, raising his hand. "So where _is_ Dodgers, captain?"

The following moment was that of an awkward silence. Ironically enough, a random tumbleweed was carried on a nonexistent wind, lightly bouncing on the heads of several villains. Some of them paid note to that tumbleweed, others did not.

"Man, this is infuriating," Canasta grumbled, laying his head on the table.

"I'd like to get my hands on Sea Man, that's for sure!" Black Eel declared. "Wherever Sea Man is, I _will_ hunt him down!"

"Enough! We'll have to settle for Duck Dodgers later," Z-9 interrupted. A new marker was indicated on the holographic map, seemingly originated from Planet Mars. "It looks like we'll have an old acquaintance of mine as an appetizer first. Get ready 'cause we're gonna strike _hard_ and run away _fast_. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Aha ha ha ha ha ha!" the Legion followed suit in raucous evil laughter.

* * *

**Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but then again there are probably a lot more authors with this horrible habit. No offense though. =P**

**Anyway, please review as always!**


End file.
